A Hero's Journey
by MadKingTom
Summary: Finn, having completed his final quest, was walking through one of the many halls of a dungeon he had just cleared of undead, his quests having taken a whole three months, was finally over, he could give her what he'd gotten and the smile on her face would make up for it. or would it? Harems and Lemons, later though. Now being continued!
1. An Unexpected Discovery

Finn, having completed his final quest, was walking through one of the many halls of a dungeon he had just cleared of undead, his quests having taken a whole three months, was finally over, first he had had to travel all the way out to the badlands to take out a team of bandits causing trouble around the candy kingdom, he'd gotten that one from Princess Bubblegum, he then had to track down the carpenter cutting down trees in Tree Trunks orchard and then finally the mission he'd given himself, find a gift for Marceline... and an Engagement Ring.

It had been three months since they'd last spoken, three months of gruelling searching, sleeping rough and slaying his way through everything and anything that would try stop him, it had all paid off though, Finn could give what he had gotten her and the smile on her face when she sees what it was he'd gotten would be completely worth it. Marceline and Finn had been going out for a long while by then, almost two years and he would have said for certain to anyone who might have asked, that "she's the one, we just connect in a way I can't with anyone else". It had taken almost three hours to clear the dungeon and another hour to make his way out, the winding corridors and dead ends making navigation a nightmare. Having reached the entrance of the dungeon again, Finn, seeing it was already night, decided to take a quick rest and set up camp. After setting up a quick ward he'd picked up from some passing wizards a while back to make it seem like there was just more woodland where he would infact be sleeping, as the dungeon itself was located on one of OOO's many dark forests, which still have the odd creature lurking about with some kind of evil intent. Finn had about two and a half hours of extremely welcome sleep before naturally waking up, removing the ward and continuing out of the forest with little to none trouble from woodland inhabitants, all them knowing full well his combat ability. In the few years he had spent in his teens Finn had really flipped his priorities, whereas the younger Finn would have been focusing more on searching for love and a girlfriend, it was around the age of fifteen that Finn had realised how foolish he had been and started taking his duties extremely seriously, spending day after day training his physical, mental and recently, even magical capabilities. All this training had made Finn an elite swordsman, experienced hunter and tracker, even an adept at casting spells, fireball especially. However it had come with a price. Finn had been so focused on bettering himself he had shut all of his friends out of his life and became something of a recluse, which is why it came as such a surprise to everyone when Finn suddenly asked Marceline to go out on a date with him and even more of a shock when Marceline had said yes. Finn had later explained to Marceline that it wasn't really a date and that he was just lonely and he felt uncomfortable asking anyone else to hang out because he barely knew anyone anymore, however this didn't stop the rumours of them being together and doing this and that with each other from spreading. Finn and Marceline had gradually been getting closer and they could both feel it, Finn however, was hesitant as his previous attempts at love and a relationship had gone sourly, first being Bubblegum, his love being unanswered or reciprocated for all those years and the second being Flame Princess, however much they tried it would never work out and after a certain incident leading to Finn being at a terminal state she had decided to shut him out of her life for good and while it hurt her more than she would ever let on, she had known deep in her heart it was for the best. Finn as expected though did not take this well at all and this is what had led on to him becoming focused on ignoring girls altogether and focusing on bettering himself, while initially Finn's friends had come over to try and console him, all it accomplished was to make him more determined to shut everyone out, he saw the people trying to help him as if they were pitying him, which infuriated him, not so much at the others but more so at himself. Seeing this, Jake had told everyone to "let Finn do his thing, he'll get over it eventually.". After that followed four years of nothing but training, slaying, training and sleeping. It was almost as if Finn had become a robot, he woke up at five every morning and began exercises, his once small runs became a full sprint to the Candy Kingdom, just to check if anything needed doing, and then a jog almost encompassing an entire half of OOO, not only had this burnt off all of his childish flab, leaving him with a rocking six pack, but in this time he had also cast of his outer childish shell. He had begun studying and researching all things from history to battle tactics, science to magic. Finn had become very well learned, not enough to rival Princess Bubblegum but enough that she would have to admit that he had become very intelligent, not only that but in those short few years, Finn had grown handsome, very handsome. so much so to the point that the amount of times he was asked out to a kingdom with the pretence of danger, just for it to turn out to be some kind of date had practically tripled, Finn now kept his hair shoulder length and didn't really style it save for the occasional smart event when he would simply comb it over.

After a long, long walk back to the entrance of Marceline's cave, Finn steeled himself. He had almost lost his nerve before he had quite literally, punched himself across the face, Finn often uses this before a big fight to brace himself but also to clear his head, when his fist collides with his face he imagines all his worries being knocked outside his head, stupid? Sure, but it worked. Finn held his bag, replaced with a messenger bag with metal plates adorned by golden swirls fastened onto the sides, found towards the beginning of the end of Finn's change, tightly to his side as he climbed to the ridge of the cave, his heart thundering in his chest with every step he took, Finn made his way to the door. That was the moment he realised something was off, there were claw marks all over the walls inside the house, and that's when Finn noticed that there was no door, it had been torn off its hinges and was lying discarded in the corner of the cave. A lump formed in his throat. He couldn't breathe. What if something had happened!, while he wasn't there?! Finn knew Marceline was more than capable but if she'd even been scratched, Finn knew he'd never forgive himself! The house inside the cave was in tatters. Finn leaped into the house, towards the ladder leading up to the first floor flying over the torn, broken furniture on the floor like the wind itself, he literally jumped onto the ladder and began furiously climbing. As Finn poked his head through the opening on the floor of the first floor, a noise he hadn't noticed, stopped. A gentle thudding on the walls in Marceline's room. As Finn brought his feet up through the hole and slowly turned to face the room. He stopped dead. His heart did the same, missing much more than just one beat. His blood was ice, yet rushed through his veins with the passion and vigor of a thousand suns. Lying on the queen sized bed in the centre back of the room was Ash. Underneath him, to Finn's utter horror, was Marceline. He staggered and fell onto his back still staring at the two as tears began to well up in his eyes. Marceline couldn't say a word, she hadn't known when Finn was going to be home and had been too caught up in her 'diversions' to notice Finn's scent.

"I..I..." was all she could force out, while Ash however was smirking to himself, seeing the utter destruction of this hero, written all over his face, had brought him more pleasure than he ever could have gotten from Marceline. His smirking had lasted a whole of eight seconds before the broken hero was upon him. Finn's face was hidden because he never once looked up and also because the only light in the room was coming from a small lamp that had been knocked over into the corner of the room, but even without good visibility anyone could have sworn Finn had disappeared before he was besides the bed in an instant, pulling Ash and throwing against a wall on the other side of the room, Ash would have stood however he had been thrown against the wall with such force it had cracked, both the wall and his right leg. Any emotion besides rage now a distant memory, Finn made an effort to walk slowly towards the crippled, whimpering mess. Marceline watched on, paralysed with fear, a genuine fear that went through her entire body, something she hadn't felt in more than a hundred years. Finn had summoned a glowing, gold long sword, the blade itself just ordinary silver except for the middle of the blade where some strange symbols were glowing red, it's handle made of pure gold, it had ornate patterns of dancing blue leading down towards its pommel where a red sphere, clearly some kind of gem, was pulsing. As Finn raised his sword to strike Ash, the gem and the symbols on the blade shone blue for a second, then back to red, then blue again, to red. Blue, red, blue. Finally the flashing stopped and the blade was left on blue, the truth was that the blade showed the wielder's emotions and the fact that it was going from red to blue meant that Finn was conflicted, the red being his rage and the blue being his sadness. Finn took one last look back towards Marceline who flinched at his expression, he opened his mouth to say something... but nothing came out, what was there to be said? the final betrayal ripped Finn's heart in two and Marceline could see it. Finn left swiftly and silently through the hole in the floor, not realising his own mistake, that would break the vampire's undead heart entirely.


	2. A New Start

Marceline

Long after Both Finn and Ash had left, Marceline still stared at the blank space that was her room and at the crack left on her wall from the earlier proceedings. The thing with Ash had been going on for a while, about four or five months into her relationship with Finn when he had approached her, while she hated him and still did, it was her loneliness when Finn was away on his quests that had driven her to go back to him. Together they had done nothing but meet and have sex for a couple hours before Ash would leave, only to come back the next time Finn would go on another quest, while at first Marceline had been fearful and took special precautions to make sure Finn wouldn't catch them, after Finn had set off on his latest quest she had become careless and was inviting Ash over almost every week. She loved Finn, she had no doubt about that and she really had wanted to continue their relationship and see it grow and blossom into something that could have been more, the only problem for her had been that Finn didn't want to have sex before marriage and this irritated Marceline, even though she understood where Finn was coming from and that to him, tier 16 was very... important, Marceline was becoming more and more sexually frustrated. Having lost her virginity many, many years ago, Marceline was... very experienced in this aspect of relationships, having been with a lot of different guys in her thousand odd years.

This was when she noticed Finn's bag lying in the centre of the floor and as she went to pick it up she tripped off of the end of her bed and fell face first into the bag, knocking it over and spilling its contents everywhere. After standing up, muttering some obscene words under her breath and rubbing her nose, which had taken most of the impact, she saw it. Laying half out of the bag was the bottom half of something, someone... she hadn't seen in a long time, someone that had once been very dear to her. When she pulled the rest of it out of the bag, there in her hands, was Hambo, with a red ribbon tied round his neck and the words Marceline stitched into its red folds. Her eyes welled up again as she realised what Finn's quest had really been for, not to mention it made her feel guilty as all hell. After completely bawling her eyes out for a good twenty minutes, a twenty minutes that had felt longer than the entire time she'd spent as a vampire, Marceline began to finally start clearing away Finn's things. A crystal cell, to communicate back to his clients when on quests, a bottle of Cyclops tears, Finn's old bear hat, just seeing this had brought tears to Marceline's eyes, but she fought them back down telling herself that she needed to be strong, she could take this to him and try to explain, hoping something of their relationship was salvageable. After sorting a bunch of miscellaneous items and 'nick nacks' Finn kept in his bag with him, she came across a small box, big enough to fit in her palm, it was hard but it was lined with what had seemed like a blue felt. Marceline had instantly known what it was. She prayed. Prayed to Gob, Grod, Glob and Grob that it wasn't what she thought it was as she slowly lifted the lid of the box separating the box into two halves, revealing a red, silk lined interior with a single object embedded into the middle of the cushion planted in the bottom half of the box. A ring. A beautiful ring. It was made of obsidian so the metal itself was jet black, yet it gleamed in the light, it had ruby red, rectangular almost Greek style patterns around the edges leading to the top of the ring where a fire red opal had been set into a crusted bed of diamonds, seeming as if the stone itself had captured the sunset inside it, what made it all the more amazing was the fact that it filled Marceline with a sense of warming nostalgia, of days when she was much younger and enjoyed long days in the sun running and playing, but always had she adored and admired the sunset, the bright joyful oranges paired with the deep enticing reds that the shadows would darken filled her with a sense of awe. What had transfixed her most was that when she put the ring on, which fitted perfectly, inside the stone, at first glance, it would seem like there are orange stars moving around inside the amazing gem, but on a closer look she found that the orange stars were moving into letters! Marceline watched on to see what it would say.

I...L...O...V...E...Y...O...U.

Finn

After leaving Marceline's cave, now only a place of sadness and rage, Finn walked. And walked. And walked. He could find nowhere in the entirety of OOO that he could sit and be at peace, either he'd already been there with Marceline or there were other couples at his secret spots and after each taken spot Finn passed he was becoming more and more irked. Finally Finn had given up on trying to be alone, what he needed was a break, a trip to take his mind off things and help him leave the world of love for the final time. He was rummaging through his thing picking out the bare essentials that he would need for his trip and he was about half way done before he realised that he'd accidentally left his bag back at Marceline's place, Finn mentally sighed at what he'd done, and then literally sighed when he remembered what was in his bag. Finn was about to go get his bag when he decided against it, he did not want to have to face Marceline after what had just happened, in the end Finn resolved not to take anything with him, whether this was because of not wanting to get his bag or just because he wanted a fresh start he did not know, but that is what he did. While Finn had long ago stopped wearing his trademark bear hat he still did not change the basic style of what he wore, a blue tee and some darker blue shorts, Finn had however swapped his old boots for some new, proper walking boots that allowed him to be comfortable wherever he was, be it tundra or mountain, so Finn's first port of call before going on his trip was to get a new outfit that would not give him away so easily, however instead of going to any old clothes shop he decided to mooch around various kingdoms in search of something lightweight but practical, some armour.

After a very long search Finn had come across a piece that he liked, it was mainly made from a dark leather but it had two shoulder plates in the shape of a W which then became metal plates that me their way down the arms until beyond the elbow is a gauntlet with especially sharp fingers, on the upper chest of the piece, is a piece of metal that act as a neck guard but also allows for the use to look in every direction, this is connected to a fur pelt that circles over the shoulders back round to the other side where it connects back up to the chest piece, this fur can also act as a hood should he ever need to cover his identity. The piece had a rather belt going right the way round the hips with a single pouch for storing small items like maps and such, the belt also had an equally large buckle. The dark trousers of the piece were nothing special aside from the knee guards made of the same metal that the arms were, this was then accompanied by another two just as spiky pieces of this same armour to go on the shins of the boots he was already wearing, he had decided not to change those because he really did like them. **( the armour is Hawke's mage champion armour from dragon age two just with the arms armour on both sides and with his own boots)** so seeing the armour that he liked he went up to the counter and bought the armour from the travelling merchant selling it, a shifty looking fellow who was hunched over concealed by a cloak. Finn then went to a weapons stall he'd seen a while back. It was dark and dusty and a lot of the weapons in there seemed like complete garbage, however after rummaging through a chest at the back of the store Finn had found something that he liked the look of.

after having gotten a whole new look, Finn decided he would get his summon able sword appraised by a mage, so he headed to wizard city, Finn had often been to wizard city before when he was going through his transformation stage and was seeking new knowledge and was pretty close to the grand master wizard as they would often talk or just greet each other as he was passing through. So as Finn was walking around in the street he kept a look out until he found a sign saying 'Hazel's Appraisals' and wandered into the store, the first thing he noticed was the stench, it smelled like... well actually he didn't know what it smelt like, but it wasn't good. As Finn reached the counter a busty blue skinned lady popped up on the other side out of nowhere but it was soon pretty clear to Finn where the smell was coming from. When the woman asked what it was that he was there for, he summoned again the same sword he was going to use on Ash, a seal of bright white with an odd pattern appeared on the back of Finn's hand as it always did before the sword appeared in an airy, wispy, almost ethereal form before Finn reached out for the handle the blade materializing at his touch, the woman whistled and asked him where he'd gotten the sword, when he replied that he'd acquired it from an old man at the end of a particularly hard dungeon, she had looked sceptical but asked no questions, it was true though, Finn recalled of how close to death he came in that dungeon when the dungeon boss had thrown him across the room, breaking his left foot which took almost two months to heal. The woman snapping her fingers in front of Finn's face brought him back to the real world, she told him that this was one of four legendary swords said to be used by great kings and warriors since before the great mushroom war. This time it was Finn's turn to look sceptical. He'd done a great deal of learning about history and magical artefacts and remembered something vaguely similar but nothing close to what she had just told him, however Finn had returned the courtesy she had shown him and not asked any questions besides asking "is it powerful?" to which she answered with "have you used it yet?" which told Finn all he needed to know, he had used it, it was definitely powerful. And this takes us to where Finn is now.

It is night and the moon is shining down from the star freckled sky, a hooded figure is running through a small fishing village that supplies a lot of OOO's fish market, the figure keeps running and running all the way down to the pier where most of the boats are docked. The hooded figure weaves his way along the pier to find his vessel, The Hero's Pride, a fairly average boat that could make a long journey if pushed, which is exactly what he was going to do. Climbing aboard the boat the figure opens a hidden compartment on the bow of the boat revealing months worth of long duration foods. As the final preparations are made for their departure, the anchor is brought up, the rails untied from the docks, a rogue gust of wind blows through the village, whipping through the streets rattling the doors of the old wooden houses, as if controlled by an unseen force, taking the figure by surprise and knocking down his hood, revealing none other than OOO's champion, Finn the Human. He was getting ready to leave OOO, not to return, for a long, long time.


	3. Happy Landings

The Hero's Pride rolls gently over the wide ocean, splashing every time the bow comes back into the frothy waters, the captain and the crew both being tossed to and fro by the constant, ruthless and yet soothing waves. The ship itself isn't overly large and could easily be handled by one person but Finn had still picked up a small crew of just five people, to keep him company if nothing else. The oak wood panelling, the hand crafted guard rails that ran the length of the ship, intricately designed to appear as if seashells had been crafted to form a long rail and the wheel, a simple almost cliché design, aside from the golden ring lining the rim. The sails at least three or four times taller than Finn, are a pure white, made of a very fine cotton, while the crow's nest, fitted with a swivelling spyglass, sat at the top. The instant Finn had seen the boat, when he had first gotten into sailing, Finn had been in love with it. From top to bottom Finn keeps it sparklingly clean because it was exactly what the name suggested, the Hero's Pride.

Finn himself is at the wheel, admiring his ship for the umpteenth time. His thoughts drifting while his worries seem far away, almost as if he'd left all his troubles back in OOO. With nothing on the horizon and nothing to aim for Finn is just heading out not knowing where he is going and hoping for the best. Day after day passes by with little to interest him aside from the occasional island or the games played on his breaks with the crew, there have been no boats or other signs of life however. Finn's days are excruciatingly simple and slow. After waking up early in the morning he will unfurl the sails, have breakfast from his rations stored below deck with the crew and then continue sailing. Around lunchtime, Finn and the crew will take a quick snack from his rations before going straight back to the wheel or their posts and continuing their course.

Because of the small numbers of Finn's crew, he has gotten to know then quite well, his first mate, Arty was the one who'd represented the group when he'd heard Finn was recruiting a small crew, he was also their leader and was both feared and respected, he seemed to be some sort of humanoid octopus with a dark pinkie-purple skin and tentacles for arms, as far as Finn can tell. Berry is their lookout, he will sit in the crow's nest and keep an eye out for anything that might help them, he is extremely prone to singing and will often start train reactions of old songs throughout the ship that would have everyone joining in, berry had resemblance to that of a monkey and is the shortest of the crew. Hayes is in charge of keeping their rations, he will often tell jokes and stories to the others on breaks of the kind of mischief he would get up to back in his hometown in OOO, Hayes is very similar to the dolphin, while he isn't the strongest of the crew, he is definitely the smartest, his talent with numbers is a force to be reckoned with, it made Finn wonder why he hasn't gone into accountancy or something of the like. Ward is the biggest on the ship, stocky and very heavily built, he handles the ships weaponry, at first Finn hadn't thought of putting cannons on his ship, having mainly used it to go fishing or just for sailing, but as soon as Ward had seen the ship he had gotten to work, fitting canons and altering them to be the perfect size to both fit the ship and do damage, he often sits for hours tinkering away with his weapons of his own design that worked in a similar fashion to hand grenades, Ward was very similar to the Orca that Finn had seen once or twice around the northern areas of OOO, this is because Ward's skin is completely black but has a white front, he is also very prone to starting a fight and is very feisty or aggressive. The final member of the crew and the only female member is Flora, she does nothing more than provide support to other members of the crew however they had insisted that she be allowed to come with them when Finn had hired them, with her sharp tongue and witty retorts Finn had initially believed that she would be a waste of space but after seeing her spar with the other crew members he admitted that if they got into a pickle it wouldn't hurt to keep her around. Flora is very beautiful and often draws the gaze of Finn himself when they are in their downtime, Flora most resembles the corals and the plant life that would grow at the bottom of some of the reefs surrounding OOO, she has bright orange skin with patches of cyan around her eyes that make it look like some kind of makeup, her looks paired with her flirty attitude make Finn laugh when she would tease some of the other crew members.

It is the sixteenth or seventeenth day of Finn's journey and Finn and the crew are having their early morning ration. Berry has become transfixed with a rock in the distance, he doesn't know exactly why, but he just gets this off feeling when he's looking at it. Deciding just to shrug off his weird feeling, Berry climbs back up to the crow's nest for another day of fruitless spotting a storm was coming, he could see it, feel it, taste it, the salt in the air told them all they needed to know but none of them bothered to speak up assuming it wouldn't be any trouble to them. But. The following day just when Berry thinks he can see land off in the distance he notices something, the rock he had seen the day previously was there as well, and it seems to be getting closer to them. Closer. Closer, the others had noticed it now too and an uneasiness had settled over the small crew of The Hero's Pride, it was then, in one moment, that they all realised in sudden, dreaded clarity, that it was no rock. It was a ship. A huge, beast, and it was prowling across the murky waters towards them as if stalking its prey. It was close enough to see faces now, jaunting, jeering faces peering into their ship knowing their advantage. When both boats had finally reached a standoff both of them going in circles to avoid getting flanked their leader comes to the side of the ship, a humanoid with resemblance to that of a shark, except for his blood red skin. He calls across "I be Capn Red Rackam, what might ye be doin in me waters this fine eve?", to which Finn stepped forward from among the crew and told him about their long journey and that they seek to land on the shores that they had just come from. After hearing what Finn says the captain laughs, an unfriendly bark and looks Finn and his crew over, and then Finn's ship. "should ye be wantin' passage in me territry' matey, 'ere be a toll ye're be havin' ta pay." The Captain stated, Finn barely able to understand the man's thick accent. to this the strange captain's crew gave an exited collection of murmurs before quietening down to allow Finn to respond, "a toll? What kind of toll? We haven't got much to offer though." He shouted beginning to feel the hairs on his arms stand up, his crew behind him were fidgeting, he'd ask them what this is about later but for now he would have to go along with what this, captain wants. "the first thing we'll be wantin food so well take yours, next be that young lass right ere, me boys need a lil' fun now an again eh?" a laugh went through hi crew at this while The Hero's Pride crew shook their heads and nodded to each other, they had agreed on what to do in a situation like this, Red continued, "... and the third be... your ship.", even before hearing their final demand Finn had decided he wouldn't agree to their terms, but after hearing that they wanted his ship Finn got even angrier, but before he could shout back, Arty put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a knowing smile, before he turns to the rest of the crew and they say in sync "lets give 'em hell cap."

Finn smiles at his crew before turning back to Red Rackam, "we do not agree to your terms Red, now let us through before we have to use force!". Red gives another round of harsh laughter before saying "if that be 'ow ye want to play, then so be'it!", when Red finishes both he and Finn shout "fire" at the same time.

Both sides are nailing round after round into each other, sustaining heavy damages, Finn taking no current casualties, aside from berry who's been injured in the leg and Red, due to Wards tech, has lost a lot of men but still stood around fifty strong. The conflict is now coming to an end, both ships are damaged irreparably and on their last legs but Rackam has one last trick up his sleeve. At the back of Rackam's ship a hidden compartment suddenly opens, inside is a small black and yellow sphere with spikes coming out of it, Red sprints towards the sphere and dives onto the floor hidden from Finn and his crew's view. Red then pops up from behind cover and throws the sphere in Finn's direction, while at the same time the mast on Reds ship comes crashing down onto Finn's, entangling the ships, but also causing the sphere to stick to the masts hanging between the ships.

Everything seems to be in slow motion for Finn, he could see clearly when Red had thrown the sphere and when he had realised Reds do or die plan and that what he had just thrown was a very high powered explosive, he froze. He is brought back to his senses however, when Arty bowls into him and knocks him backwards over the side of the ship, the last thing he sees is Artie's sad, smiling face as he tumbles down into the dark, cold, debris filled water. Finn is trying desperately to get to the surface when a huge red and orange light went off signalling that the bomb has exploded, successfully destroying what is of left of Finn's prized ship...and his crew. Debris is flying past him in the water as he tries to scramble his way to the surface. The air in his lungs is running out. He isn't going to make it. He is going to die. Die and be just another corpse claimed by the sea.

No. That is not his fate. This is not how he is going to die, Finn gives one last spurt towards the surface and is just about there, his hands are out of the water, when another piece of wood pelts into his stomach, pushing him back into the depths again and knocking the air out of him. Finn is crying. He hadn't noticed it because of him being in the water, but he is crying, this wasn't how he'd imagined he'd go. The last thing Finn sees before the darkness takes him is his treehouse, back in OOO, it's in full bloom and the petals are raining down from the sky, his friends are there, Jake, lady, Princess Bubblegum, flame Princess and others, but Marceline's not there, where was Marceline?, why wasn't he with her? and she with him? and why weren't they telling each other how much they love the other?.' Oh yeah' he thought fighting to stay conscious 'she doesn't love me.'.


	4. At Long Last

On the beach, no life dwelled. Save for one, desperate soul just clinging to life. Finn had washed ashore during the night and was resting fitfully on the sand, tossing, turning and muttering broken sentences to himself. That was when the stranger found him, strolling across the dunes had proven fortuitous for the odd humanoid, evidently a battle had take place nearby out at sea and the stranger merely shrugged it off as corpses lying on the beach were a regular occurrence in the area, thanks to a certain pirate roaming the seas close by. However it was certainly rare, the stranger mused, to find anyone still alive, Red made sure all the time to leave no survivors whether they paid his toll or not. Deciding not to think too much on it, the stranger set about giving a very basic first aid, applying bandages to his wounds and removing splinters and shrapnel from his arms, legs and torso.

As Finn slowly roused from his unconsciousness due to the constant bumping and jarring, he found himself lying flat on a hard, seemingly metal, dirtied surface. Sitting up he found he was on the back of some sort of trailer being pulled by a very strange looking creature Finn had never seen before. Focusing further he could see that a humanoid figure was riding the animal and would turn around every so often as if surveying the area. The area, which as far as Finn could tell… was desert. As far as Finn's trained eyes could see, was the same strange maroon colored sand. The stranger gave a chuckle from above and Finn turned his head just in time to see its hand reaching down. Down… further… closer to Finn. Closer and closer before it stopped less than an inch before his face. He heard the stranger pull a knife from a sheath and that's when Finn began to struggle. But he couldn't. He couldn't move anything below his neck, and couldn't feel anything either. Finn went through a list in his head, of all the paralysis potions and poisons he knew of and still couldn't think of and that gave a partial paralysis. Meanwhile the stranger just stood… patiently, curiously watching him from behind his outstretched hand as if they had been having a conversation.

Finn slowly turned all of his concentration to the stranger after deliberation that a paralysis potion couldn't be what's at work. The figure turned and reached into a chest Finn could have definitely sworn wasn't there before. And pulled out a sack. It was beige and had no designs on it, the corners of the sack were frayed with use and age and it had small holes in the weave here and there. The Stranger placed the sack on Finn's head and tied a rope around his neck just before the opening, to prevent him taking it of Finn assumed. But then something very strange happened. At first it was a small feeling, a tickle at the bottom of Finn's neck, but then the feeling moved up his neck, to his chin. At this point Finn knew that the bag was filling up with water but was perplexed as to how. Nothing was being poured into the top and the rest of his body wasn't getting wet. The water kept rising past his nose and his eyes distorting what little light Finn could get through the holes while not passing through them either. There was very strange magic going on in this place and Finn knew it was the likes of which he'd never seen before. Finn's air was running out, he didn't have much time left, flashes of memory were appearing before him, the Hero's Pride and sinking down to the depths. Finn was going to drown again? Well he wouldn't have it, Finn began thrashing and twisting his neck and shoulder to try and rid the magical sack… but to no avail. Finn let out the air he had been holding in a flurry of bubbles, water rushed down his throat, it was cold, very cold… and then… gone. Gone? Finn took in gasps of air as light flooded his eyes, blinding him.

He could tell the light was from the sun as he could feel its gentle heat embracing him. As Finn's eyes slowly began to adjust, he could make out blurry shapes around him, lots of them and they were shouting. Finn readied himself as much as he could in his dazed state, entering a weak battle stance, from the fighting style he had developed himself through rigorous training, he spun trying to judge how large in numbers they were. But there were hundreds at least from the humanoid shadows he could make out at the time, there could be thousands of them, Finn couldn't fight that many, not with no weapons and just his basic magic. However as he further adjusted he found they weren't shouting, but cheering. People surrounded Finn in the street smiling and whooping. But where had all this come from, the buildings, with their futuristic, rounded and very bright architecture, the stores, selling all kinds of tech Finn knew bubblegum would love to get her hands on and most importantly the people, they were everywhere. And they were human! Finn fell to his rear as he looked up at the people around him, all of them human. He was shocked, speechless. Real, living and breathing humans! He wasn't the last one, they had been here, wherever here was, and they had been thriving. Cars that could fly hovered above him, robots and droids far more complicated than any mo-droid you could find in Ooo, worked at tills and patrolled the streets in blue uniforms. What was going on? Finn looked into the crowd to see the stranger making their way towards him, shoving their way through people until they reached the front, Finn hadn't really taken notice before but the stranger had been wearing a ragged longcoat with combat armor underneath, and a heavy robotic helmet over their head. The stranger slowly removed the helmet, and when the strangers golden hair fell back down to their shoulders. Golden hair, not unlike that which Finn possessed. Finn closed his eyes and when he opened them again he found himself staring at his reflection. No, not his reflection… The stranger. They looked exactly alike! After the crowd took in the face of Finn's apparent twin, they became even more frenzied. Screaming and shouting. The stranger leaned in and whispered into Finn's ear. "Come with me".

not knowing how else he should act, Finn simply nodded and followed the stranger, this time though the crowd partied, it didn't quiet but it did give the two lookalikes passage forward. After passing through a couple more blocks of endlessly packed streets the stranger turned and pointed straight ahead, in the distance, Finn could see what looked like a mansion with gold and blue patterns adorning its face. "That's where we're headed" the stranger stated excitedly, he didn't look that much younger than Finn himself maybe about two years behind making him about nineteen. During the long walk Finn took everything in about the city that he could, the different stores, the turns, alleys and the landmarks, mapping it all out in his head just in case he needed to make a quick escape. However Finn had already judged the humans as not a threat, and didn't have his guard up, wanting to believe in this crazy dream for as long as he can. Coming up on the mansion revealed that it was a lot bigger than Finn had originally thought. The blue and gold danced along the walls and around the ornate glass panes separated into fours, leading Finn's gaze along to the enormous porch. The doors had swirling ribbons of gold on a deep rich oak and the knockers, one on each door, had been shaped to form golden lion heads, their jaws clasped around the pivot and their eyes had been replaced with blue gems that seemed to sparkle brighter than the shining gold. The doors burst open and out came more strangers Finn had never seen before; however these new strangers were exactly the same as the last one. Everyone Finn could see in the crowd of five gathered before him, shared his golden hair and all looked similar to him. One of the five an older looking man with very expensive looking clothes on and tears in his deep green eyes came closer to Finn and embraced him. He said… "Welcome home… son". **(BTW, in this fanfic martin doesn't exist.)**

For the second time that day Finn was shocked out of his mind. His emotions began to bubble up inside him for the first time since he had left Ooo, he returned the loving embrace of his newfound father as tears began to fall from his own eyes. When the two had calmed down and released each other the older man spoke up again, "hello Finn. You probably don't remember me, but I know you, I know you because you are my long lost eldest son, Finn Goldrinn.", Finn didn't know what to say and all he could make out was a barely audible "H-How?", The first stranger from before spoke up at this, "we lost you and your mother during the great revolution, when the rebels attacked our home your mother, leader of the rebels stole you from us and escaped. Is that right dad?". "Yes son" Finn's father responded warmly "we searched for years to find you but discovered nothing" to Finn, "your mother meant a lot to me and you, even more so. I and the kingdom mourned for the years to come after your loss. The kingdom for its prince and me, for my son and heir". "I am King Lyon of Nerio and these are your siblings." Lyon gestured behind him at the four others standing there. "You have already met Gion, my second eldest" the first stranger bowed his head slightly by way of greeting, a big smile on his face. "Alex, the youngest" a boy who looked to be around 12 with again similar looks to that of the family, bowed a little deeper than the last. "And Fionna my third eldest" this time it was a very beautiful girl of what seemed to Finn to be around 17, that met his gaze and at the very same moment Finn could have sworn she lost her composure a little, taking a quick and sharp intake of breath, but Finn shrugged it off because as soon as he blinked she was seemingly back to normal. She gave a small curtsy, locking her eyes to his feet before rising; her eyes however didn't rise with her.

Finn spent the rest of the day being introduced into the new world he had discovered. It turned out; Finn was the missing eldest son of the ruling house of the human kingdom run by a monarchy system. The ruling house, Goldrinn, was very diplomatic and were adored by the people for bringing peace and prosperity, there had only ever been one rebellion against the crown and the reason why was never disclosed to the public. Nevertheless the people trusted their monarchs and chose to believe in them, ushering in a time of no wars and happiness with amazing breakthroughs in medicine and science. He was shown the way to his room by a young and pretty maid who was a bit too flirtatious, Finn thought, to be working in the mansion. But no matter, with a fresh new start Finn knew he would be able to get any kind of love and romance out of his mind, and his life, for good. His room was far bigger than he'd anticipated, with the same gold and blue color scheme that could be seen all throughout the mansion decorating the room, it made the plush violet mattress on his king sized bed stand out all the more. Hanging just above the 'far too large to be a bed' bed was what Finn assumed was the family crest. Embroidered a great spread of blue cloth was a golden sword much like his own that Finn was able to summon, however the blade itself was gold and the hilt was silver, the same gem lay at the end of the blade, however it seemed to glow white, something Finn's blade had never done. There was also a pair of golden angel wings coming from either side of the majestic sword and the white aura that the blade was emitting gave it a very holy or divine feel. Finn had to admit that he would very much like to possess a blade of such caliber.

It was late into the night and the fire on the fireplace built into the wall was on its last legs, dimming with every passing minute when a knock sounded on the door. Finn sat up from where he was lying on the bed and told the knocker to come in. the door opened slightly and the head of his father, the king poked through. "Is it alright if we talk awhile, son?" Finn nodded his head and his father came through into the room. He motioned to the couches that had been prepared around the fire for Finn's arrival. The king was a very prepared man you see and he had kept this room spare always just in case his lost son would ever return to him. They both sat before the fire and the king pulled out a bottle of pre war whiskey, he offered Finn a glass but he responded by telling his father that he didn't drink. However. Being the smooth talking master politician the king was, he soon convinced Finn to take a shot.

Another four shots later Finn's tongue was loose enough without him losing all sense of privacy that the king could have had him tell him anything he wanted. But, having had just as many drinks as Finn had, he wasn't really in the state to start interrogating Finn, not that he would anyway. Finn told his father of all the wonderful times he had spent in Ooo and all the amazing people he'd met, he spoke of Jake and how his family had raised him in the absence of his own. He went over how to all of Ooo he was a Hero who had saved the land from numerous presumed undefeatable threats. Then he got on to love, at the pressuring of his father, who seemed to be acting younger than he was at that moment. That was though, the moment when Finn broke. He burst into tears to the surprise of his father and one other. He spoke behind tears of his love for bubblegum, flame princess and finally Marceline. It was over Marceline that Finn cried the most. His story of how he had tried so hard to find a ring perfect for the love of his life, only to be betrayed completely and utterly, brought his father and the, what was now 'others' to tears as well. The conversation ended shortly afterwards due to both Finn and his father passing out. The crowd of servants, tears in their eyes after having over heard the tired Hero's story moved in to clean up after the two, a few male servants picked up the king and carried him back to his room while the others moved Finn back to his bed. When leaving, all the servants whispered the same thing to the original eavesdropper…

"goodnight, Princess."


	5. A New Life

**Hey guys! It's MadKingTom here, I won't be doing this on many of my chapters, so I just wanted to get in here and say to anyone following Finn's journey right now that I really appreciate it. And to everyone else, thanks for your continued support! On a side note any reviews you guys post is awesome so I would like for you to tell me your feelings on the story and maybe suggest where you think the story should go!**

 **Cheers** **M.K.T**

Princess Fionna walked swiftly through the halls of the mansion back to her room, she bade all the servants she passed goodnight and they to her. As soon as she reached her room she opened the door and strode in, a passing servant familiar with her odd habit closed the door behind her. She sat on the end of her bed and wiped her eyes to remove the tears that had welled up. She'd had no idea, when Finn first arrived, how hard he'd actually had it. She had been taken aback by his enchanting blue eyes that looked like they held the entire ocean inside them and had involuntarily gasped when they had first made eye contact, but made haste to regain her composure before her father could take notice. He was stunning! He may look a little like my brothers she thought, but those blue eyes! They make him look so different. The whole of her family had green eyes except him. She flopped as gracefully as a princess can flop, backwards onto her bed. She couldn't get Finn out of her mind. His eyes, his face and his heart wrenching story. She was afraid of what that meant. But she would be thinking about that, the whole night long.

Finn awoke the next morning to find the room had been cleaned and he had been moved onto his bed. He didn't remember much of last night but he did know that the King had come in at some point. He shrugged off his groggy haze of the morning and stood up to walk to the bathroom. After walking a couple paces towards the door he believed led to the toilet he was surprised to find, after opening the door, that it wasn't in fact a toilet. But a Wardrobe! Lines and lines of clothes were hung up on racks with what seemed to be no end. Noticing for the first time Finn was still in his basic clothes he wore under his armor, which lay about 50 feet away on a pedestal at the far back of the wardrobe.

Exiting the wardrobe, Finn was dressed in a dark grey shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows; he wore the shirt un-tucked over a pair of dark blue skinny jeans. His boots were heavy and pure black but had blue lights going up the side. Finn had decided that he liked this look and chose to keep it on when he left his room. Just outside the door a servant was waiting, the same servant who showed Finn the way to his room. She explained to Finn that she was his personal servant and that she would always be on hand to assist him should he wish it. The emphasis the girl put on the word assist sent a shiver down Finn's spine. While walking down the halls the servant, whose name was Marie; started up a conversation about the kind of things Finn should expect if he is to start living at the mansion. She went over the basic things like the times for breakfast, lunch and dinner and where his father's and sibling's rooms were. Arriving at the grand table, it seemed like Finn was the last to get there, he was shown to his seat by Marie and given a ridiculously sized menu of breakfast items. The whole family looked at Finn expectantly for him to make his choice. Up and down the menu Finn went, there were foods on there Finn had never even heard of and the ones he did understand were overcomplicated to the point that he didn't really know why they even wrote it in English! It got so frustrating that Finn just put the menu face down on the table, turned to the waiter standing behind him to his left and asked. "Do you just have any bacon pancakes?"

Silence followed Finn's request as the family tried to comprehend what had just come out of the long lost member's mouth. Then a suppressed giggle from the youngest, Alex. Then, as Finn's father burst out with laughter, the rest of the family followed suit. Almost as if they had been waiting his approval before laughing themselves. Finn gave a few nervous chuckles as one would do when they don't understand the joke at hand. Through fits of laughter from both the royal family and the waiters he managed to deliberate that it was Finn's request that was so odd to them! However the latter quickly regained composure after a scowl from Finn. Finally calming down the king spoke first, "if that's something that you like" a small chuckle "then who are we to stop you from having what you want". Finn was grateful that he wasn't told he couldn't have something he was familiar with. "But if that is what you chooses then so will I!" as the other family members finally spoke it was to Finn's surprise that everyone wanted to try Finn's odd breakfast! However their amusement was short lived as the waiter soon spoke up, "my deepest apologies your highness, but I am afraid we have no-one who understands the process of making these bacon pancakes" the waiter obviously not very experienced, squirmed under the gaze of the king. It was at that moment when Finn stood from his seat at the table, breaking a certain someone's entranced gaze, excused himself to his father and requested that the waiter would show him the way to the kitchen.

In the kitchen was sheer chaos, senior chefs yelled at younger sweating assistants and orders for foods were barked to and fro around the black and white tiled room, but as soon as Finn walked through the door a silence fell across the room and all activities halted as the staff put their full attention to Finn. Finn face palmed and walked into the middle of the room. A quick survey concluded that the room was divided into three units, serving, cooking and foods. The serving division was the smallest consisting of only a few desks with a register for staff to sign on arrival and a changing corner where they would put on their uniforms, this is where Finn started first. During his years of training, Finn was able to develop very strong leadership skills from having to do small missions with inexperienced fighters or convoy contracts, all of these lead to Finn acquiring a very cool head when dealing with lots of people. As soon as he had reached the desks he looked to see that about two thirds of the staff roister had checked themselves in. satisfied with the amount of people he moved to one of the senior staff of the divisions and told him how exactly the waiters should act, he told the senior to establish a training day for each new servant as they were clearly sending people without the required training 'out onto the field' as Finn had put it. He rushed into both the men and women's changing rooms and had arranged all the lockers and their contents alphabetically within a couple of minutes. He then moved onto the second largest division foods. This was where orders for foods were placed and where the meats and other spoilable foods where stored. He again set to work on fixing the orders book into a much more organized manner and explained as he did so to the nearest staff member so that they could continue to do so in as efficiently as possible. After helping sort out any mishaps around the unit, he helped himself to a large amount of food stuffs. From various cupboards he'd already sorted out he pulled; all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, coarse salt, buttermilk, unsalted butter, large eggs and lots of Bacon! Moving over to the cooking section he quickly told the chef to simplify the menu and to watch exactly what Finn was about to do next, for future reference. He cleared a workspace and set about making his favorite breakfast. First he preheated an oven so that it would be ready when he needed it. Then in a bowl, he whisked together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and the salt. In another he whisked the buttermilk, melted butter and the eggs. He whisked the flour mixture into the buttermilk mixture just until it was moistened with only small lumps remaining. In a skillet, he cooked the bacon over a medium high temp until the fat was rendered and the bacon was browned on one side. The smells wafting through and out of the kitchen, into the dining room had intrigued and delighted everyone who had the pleasure of smelling them. Including the royal family! The staff meanwhile where amazed at the cooking skill of the newest arrival at the mansion, royal or not. Their ryes following him as he continued for 5 to six minutes with the bacon before it was golden and crisp on the underside. After draining the bacon he left a little of the fat in the skillet. He then heated the skillet over a medium temp before pouring batter into the skillet and topping each with a slice of bacon. He cooked on until some bubbles formed on the top of the rising pancakes, a couple of them bursting. With a spatula, he carefully flipped the pancakes and cooked them until they were brown on the underside. He moved the pancake he'd just made to a small plate that he'd brought over earlier. He picked up the plate and moved towards the doors, the staff's eyes trailing him especially those of the girls. When he reached the door he spoke, "I know your there" with a knowing smile on his face. To the shock of the crowd that had gathered in the kitchen, their princess rounded the corner and came into view in the doorway.

Fionna had been staring at him since he had entered the dining room and she didn't even realize! When he sat down she began to get a little flustered. She wanted to make conversation, say _something_ about what she'd heard last night. However any attempt to talk was immediately shut down by her overbearing father. He was so frustrating! He wanted to know everything about her, especially all the things that she didn't want to talk to him about, he'd even gone as far as to have someone watch over her in the middle of her classes! When Finn had fist picked up the menu she could see from the way his face contorted and twisted that he had no idea what was on the menu. She had to suppress her laughter as Finn's eyes roamed aimlessly along the laminated list of laboriously intricate constructions. And then, when he'd said 'bacon pancakes'… honestly, she couldn't have kept her laughter in even if she'd tried, not that she would have. She was surprised much like the rest of the onlookers, when Finn had stood up and gone towards the kitchen and she had tried as best as she could have to wait, but curiosity got the better of her as it usually did. After excusing herself from the table she began walking towards the kitchen and about halfway there she was hit by the one of the most amazing smells she'd ever smelt! She rushed on to find the source, forgetting all about her quest to find Finn, her main directive to discover all the new things she can kicking in and forcing her to forget all else, only to find the source _was_ Finn! Watching him maneuver his way around such a foreign environment with such ease inspired awe within the princess as she rushed to hide behind the doorway but she poked her head through just enough that she could still watch the spectacle of Finn's cooking prowess. Seeing him so consumed by his activity yet smiling all the way through showed her how at home he really was, suddenly she felt guilty for having laughed earlier as the pancakes clearly represented something deeper within Finn's heart, that much was clear, sheltered she may be. Then as Finn was putting the pancakes onto the plate, the hairs on the back of Fionna's neck stood and not a moment later Finn was at the door and talking to her! Her mind went to shreds as she tried to talk to Finn, explain why she was watching him as he gave her that dazzling smile of his that put her at the centre of a hurricane, lost for words trapped in the middle of the storm where it can't touch her. All that came out of her mouth were stutters and anything that wasn't really a word. And that was the first moment she'd see him laugh. It was like the world was in slow motion and it were just Finn and Fionna, a warm feeling spread all the way from her toes, up her slender legs, past her full hips, over her gorgeous tummy, over her fair womanly curves and her feminine, cute yet defined face to the tips of her blonde hairs. And then as quickly as the feeling had come, it was gone.

Finn noticed Fionna straighten up bit as he was laughing but she soon fell back to her normal state as he stopped. He had laughed because of something she hadn't noticed, he said "hey, you know your drooling right?" in a joking tone. Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand as princess-like as possible Fionna went beet red after finding out what Finn had said was true! Finn laughed again "it's okay" he spoke calmly "If you wanted some you could have just asked" holding the plate out towards a very confused Fionna. "I'm saved!" she thought, Finn being as clueless as he was when it came to girls, something his training could never fix, Finn had mistaken her drooling to be for the pancakes and not him! Finn was a little disappointed that she wouldn't try the pancakes he himself had made but he handed the plate over to the head chef for him to try, he told him to do as he'd just done and prepare five of them for each member of the royal family and himself. After which he made to go back to the dining room, only for Fionna to cough intentionally at him causing Finn to turn around, "the dining room is the other way, silly" the princess said with a giggle. Embarrassed at his mistake, Finn scratched the back of his head and gave a nervous chuckle. The two then made their way, the right way, to the rest of the family.

In the dining room it turned out Finn's father already knew what had happened, Finn supposed that was only natural when you are the king and in your own mansion to boot. The waiters soon appeared with the breakfast Finn had ordered for all. Silence ensued, pausing Finn's conversation with Alex about the magical creatures in Ooo. The silence was short lived however with the younger ones voicing their newfound love for Finn's food and the others agreeing. Finn's father was delighted that Finn had such a broad skills set, himself more than anyone. Because he knew how much of a real challenge Finn's first day was going to be…


	6. True Colours

The First thing to do on Finn's agenda was to join his father and the rest of the royal family in publicly and officially announcing Finn's arrival, though Finn doubted that after the reception he'd had the previous day that any were unaware already. He was given a list as long as his arm of things that he would have to do today. Just scrolling his eyes down the paper made him feel tired, his father chuckled and gave him an encouraging clap on the back, though he knew it would only put him at ease for a short while. In the royal car Finn sat at the front beside his Father, his two brothers sat behind him and Fionna sat at the back, next to someone Finn assumed was a friend of hers.

Rounding the corner of an oval shaped tower, Finn could hear the crowd before he saw them but even when he could see them; he was still shocked at the turnout. It gave Finn a warm feeling despite the nervousness bubbling up inside him, ready, _eager_ to burst as if he was a walking soda bottle. Finn was brought out of his nervous trance instantly as two hands clapped each side of his face. Finn found himself staring into the face of his father, who's rested yet fierce eyes put calm to Finn's inner storm. "Ready?" the King asked. Finn steeled himself and nodded, heading out onto the golden platform. The first thing Finn noted was that the stage felt a lot bigger when he was on it. Not that it helped at all. Cameras and people and robots alike stared in anticipation. And then Finn spoke.

"Hi everyone", Finn gave a big smile; cheers arose from a large group of girls around his age. "For the past two day you may have been hearing about my arrival and my life before this wonderful kingdom", another round of cheers, this time from men and women alike. "For all my difficulties and no end of flaws, today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the planet. I have been in this amazing place for just two days and have never received anything but kindness and encouragement from both my family and all of you, this place, a place filled with people like me". Tears began to well up in Finn's eyes but he wiped them away and stood straight. "Is something that I would never have dreamed possible!"

"Just look at this grand kingdom! Such freedom and equality that I've seen nowhere else in my travels!" The cheers were deafening. Finn looked back to see his father and some smartly dressed men returning nods of approval and muttering excitedly amongst themselves.

"Sure, I'm new. Who wouldn't think that someone like me who's never seen this city before two days ago would be inexperienced and unsuitable for the job, but I promise you! I will live up to all your expectations and then more! I promise to give my blood sweat and tears to make this city something even a deity would envy!"

"And sure, I'm lucky. When the royal family suddenly tells you your family and then tells you that your heir to the throne, it would seem like a dream come true! But I know the work involved with being a ruler, the stress and the eventual hate that is gathered upon your shoulders. This is why I refuse to put myself above you!" The shock of the crowd was reflected and more on the face of king Lyon. "I may formally be called king, but I am only human. Just one of you! But that is no fault. Just look at what humanity has accomplished! Recovering to such a scale after nuclear destruction? What other species pre-war and even now, could have pulled that off! So I ask that you give me your faith, your love and your co-operation to make humanity the best it can be!"

By the end of Finn's speech the crowd was hanging onto his each and every word like he were hypnotizing them, his father gave a proud smile and turned to the other gentlemen and bid them farewell. Finn stood on the stage smiling, but catching his breath. The crowd was roaring enough to rival any dragon Finn had ever slain! His father joined him on the stage with a beam that mirrored his own. The king turned to the crowd, lifted his son's arm and bellowed "your prince!"

Little had Finn known it wasn't just the crowd that were mesmerized but also Fionna, who despite her knowledge of politics was caught on Finn and his way with words, not only did he rally all of your hopes and dreams behind him but made you WANT to follow him. His literary knowledge was clear among the greats of human history.

It was the afternoon, as the orange sun set on the horizon and its last rays of golden light shone down into the city streets, casting large shadows in their wake, Finn stood on the balcony in his room. He had been thrown a party by the king and all the nobles of the human city had attended. His hands were sore after all the vigorous shaking and his face hurt from all the fake smiles he had plastered on while meeting and greeting each and every of the nobles, all of them hoping to get into the good graces of the future king. Finn's door opened and as he turned round he had expected to see the face of his father however it was not the smiling face of the king that greeted him, it was the solemn yet cold face of his 20 year old brother Gion. "Hey Gion what's up?" Finn greeted him with familiarity although he had only known him for a short while. He had hoped to be able to form a close relationship with Gion as he did with all the family. But instead these hopes and dreams were dashed when Gion threw his fist towards Finn's face! Finn's honed reflexes allowed him to catch the fist before it even got close, it was weak and open, the attack of an inexperienced, sheltered prince.

Gion's eyes grew wide with surprise; with what he thought would be a sure blow was easily destroyed by Finn. The regret in what he had done was clear on his face as it cringed, ready for the returning blow, but it did not come. Finn let go of Gion's fist and sat down in the chair besides him on the balcony. Gion didn't know what to do. First he had attacked Finn and now, the same Finn that he'd attacked was motioning for him to sit in the chair opposite. Gion slumped into the thin back, wooden weaved chair and let out a large sigh.

Finn had sensed something wrong the moment Gion had opened the door however he'd decided to play it cool. He'd also seen the punch coming long before Gion had even reared his own fist, after having fought as much as Finn had he'd learnt how to analyze a threat as they approach. From the way that they walk, to their facial expressions and Finn knew that Gion wasn't a threat, even if his punch did make contact it wouldn't have had the desired affect anyway. So with that Finn made up his mind as he caught the punch, he would sit down with Gion and talk with him about what was wrong.

"So…" Finn began, "why are you here?!" Gion snapped, "Everything was fine until you came along! You ruined everything, now all father cares about is you and everything that I was preparing for has gone out the window-". Gion was suddenly silent and his eyes dropped to the floor, Finn knew it was because he'd revealed too much. Finn's eyes narrowed as he scanned the 20 year olds eyes. "What are you planning?"Finn questioned, still avoiding eye contact Gion quickly and quietly replied "nothing." Finn leaned forward and asked again, slipping a sterner expression onto his face as if he were angry, although it was simply a mask Finn put on during the darker times of his life where he'd been made to interrogate criminals by various princesses. Sweat dropped from Gion's brow and he squirmed under Finn's steely gaze, but he stuck with his answer "nothing." Finn darkened his expression another shade and this time he knew that Gion would break as the boy was clearly very uncomfortable. "Iwantedtobetheking" he garbled letting go of a breath he didn't know he was holding. Finn had understood what he'd said though and softened his features; he let out a bored sigh and looked at Gion. "Listen, I know you probably think that I've come out of the blue and stolen all of your future away but that's not what's happened. The people are excited because I'm new and fresh, don't worry because soon enough they will calm and you will be able to sort yourself out, it's all been a bit hectic around Nerio **(the Human Kingdom)** recently and its gonna' be tough to deal with I realize that." Gion had seemed to relax a little during Finn's talk and Finn gave him a reassuring smile just to put him further at ease. He returned a little nervous smile. Finn continued, I hold nothing against you for what you just did because I'd be frustrated too, okay?" Finn stood and extended his hand towards Gion "let's just forget about all this, yeah?" Gion wiped a tear from his left eye on his sleeve, took Finn's hand, and stood. Finn walked Gion to the door and patted his back before closing the door behind his younger brother.

Standing out in the corridor Gion checked to see if the door was full closed, the doors in the Mansion were fully blast proofs he knew he wouldn't make too much of a mess. He gave a devilish smirk as he walked to the end of the corridor where it turned left. He turned the corner and pressed his back against the wall peering out towards the direction he'd come from, towards Finn's room! He reached into the back pocket in his vest to pull out what he'd placed there, only to find it empty! He patted down each pocket his clothes had, desperately looking for what he'd lost before his mind flew to him leaving Finn's room, and the pat of the back that Finn had given him as he'd left. Gion gritted his teeth as he seethed on the spot, a nearby maid scurried past him eager to get to the safety of the main hall where nobles were still being served… to their wives, drunk, to be escorted home. Gion slammed his fist onto the corner of the wall, the plastered material shattering to pieces as his hand made contact.

Meanwhile back in Finn's room, Finn had just finished disarming a bomb that Gion had planted stealthily as Finn's back was turned, he threw the detonator he'd… confiscated into the trash along with the miniscule bomb all the while with a very grave look on his face, walking back to his balcony Finn fell deep into thought for a short while before retiring to his bed for the night, however he would get little sleep, with thoughts of his younger brother and suspicions of another much more complex plan running through his head.

As Gion reached his room his devious smile returned, opening the door a frightened gasp arose from a number a young maids chained to the walls in the dark room, other maids mentally shielded their eyes as they walked past the barely open door much to the dismay of the prisoners trapped within. The last thing heard of Gion that night was a single line "who's gonna play with me tonight then?" as he swaggered into the dark room, a cruel grin plastered onto his face.


	7. Chapter 6-5

Marceline Pov (time jump backwards)

It had been a week since Finn had left; Marceline hadn't left her house in that entire time. And she looked like it. She hadn't showered or eaten the entire time. As she was lying in her bed, the same thing she had been doing since Finn stormed out, giving the ceiling a blank stare (much to its discomfort), the doorbell rang. Startled, seeing as she hadn't been expecting visitors and not giving any thought to her appearance or smell, Marceline floated dully to the door. Slowly creaking to door open she peeked through the crack, to see who it was bothering her self pity and wallowing. A familiar yellow face greeted her, it was Jake. Her heightened abilities caught the exact moment when her smell hit him and his face crinkled in disgust. "What is it?" she croaked, Jake looked puzzled for a second but regained his posture before asking her "is Finn here?". Marceline figured that Finn would tell Jake what happened, she knew that Finn tended to keep his problems to himself and bottle up until he explodes so she immediately became slightly worried. Alas Marceline also knew that she was the one Finn probably wanted to see the least. Despite her state she invited Jake in so she could explain what had happened even though she was aware it would likely destroy her friendship with Jake.

…

"You monster!...you….why?!" Jake was in tears. Marceline was sitting with her head bowed, sitting not floating. "With Ash?!The guy that treated you so badly?!" Jake's look of disgust twisted Marceline's insides. Jake clenched his fists….but sighed. He let his hands dropped to his sides. "Okay" Jake said, sounding very tired all of a sudden. "You did what you did, but you must understand how much that will have hurt Finn?" Marceline nodded and gestured to the dresser at the side of the room. Jake looked over and gasped when he saw it. The ring box. Jake let out a deep growl before turning to Marceline. "Well if he's not here then he's missing!" Jake exclaimed "I've checked all over Ooo already!" Marceline wondered to herself why it was that Jake hadn't checked at hers first but knew it wasn't the time to say it. Jake stood and strode towards the door. He swung it open dramatically and turned towards Marceline. "Well are you coming to help look or not?" he asked pointedly. Marceline steeled herself for the coming events and nodded solemnly. Jake's face softened but Marceline could still see the worry in his eyes.

Walking outside Marceline found that almost all of Finn's friends had gathered to help the search party. It really said something about the effect that the champion of Ooo had had on their lives. Bubblegum, Jake's girlfriend lady (I know they're married but for this they aren't), half the candy kingdom and people from all across the land. Even ice king was there, although most suspected he was only there to try and whisk someone away in the duffel bag that was a little more than just 'suspicious'. Marceline could see the distaste and pity grow in each of their eyes as Jake told everyone what he'd learned. Everyone for the duration of the search averted Marceline besides LSP and Bubblegum, the former even going as far as congratulating her!

The search eventually took them to a small fishing village. No-one had been able to figure out Finn's plan so far but as soon as the large group set eyes on the docks it became very clear what Finn had done. The champion of Ooo had been driven out of his own home. As the moon shone high in the sky, Marceline and bubblegum sat on one of the piers reaching out towards the ocean. They had spoken to the dockmaster who had confirmed their fears. He told them that Finn had come by and taken a crew out to sea, and had made no clear intention of return. Bubblegum had her hand on Marceline's back when she said quietly "Marcy, I have a confession" Marceline turned to look at her old friend with an inquiring look, "a week ago….Finn came to my castle, I didn't see him in person I was just told by pep-but that he was here. Pep told me that Finn seemed very distressed and looked like he'd even been crying but I was very into an experiment at the time so I paid no notice and told Pep to make him go away", Marceline sat silently looking out to the ocean "don't worry about that Bonny, its my fault that this all happened in the first place" Marceline burst into tears and Bubblegum held her distraught friend close. "I suppose we all took our champion for granted. And this is the result." Bubblegum wondered aloud.


End file.
